“Seems like 5,000 people come up to me during a weekend and ask, `Think this is going to be the weekend?”‘

Actually, it was a fair question after nine years chasing an AMA American Superbike victory. Hayden, the oldest of three brothers from America’s premier motorcycle racing family, entered this weekend’s Suzuki SuperBike Challenge at Auto Club Speedway with 26 of the family’s 74 AMA victories. However, until Sunday, only Nicky had a SuperBike win, including one at ACS in 2002.

Nineteen laps into the 21-lap battle around the 2.36-mile, 21-turn Fontana road course, that all changed.

Hayden, who had run a conservative race in an effort to save his tires, passed Josh Hayes going into turn three and pulled away to take the checkered flag by 0.485 seconds over Hayes, his first in 81 starts.

Josh Herrin drafted past Danny Eslick at the finish line to win the Daytona SportBike race by a scant 0.028 seconds. In the SuperSport 17-lap race, Joey Pascarella continued his winning ways, rolling to a 6.329-second win over Huntley Nash.

Elena Myers, the 16-year-old who was dumped 100 yards from the start in Saturday’s race, once again encountered a collision but maintained control and recorded a fourth-place finish, the best ever by a female rider in AMA history.

Hayden also made history on his father’s birthday.

“He said he wouldn’t be able to make it,” said Hayden, whose hometown of Owensboro, Tenn., is also the home of Darrell and Michael Waltrip.

“But at least he didn’t say this was going to be the weekend.”

The win by Hayes marked the return to dominance at the track by Suzuki Team Yoshimura, which had swept both ends of the Fontana doubleheader since 2003. In that time period, Mat Maldin won eight times and Ben Spies six before Larry Pegram’s shocking victory on Saturday.

Pegram attempted to also take both rounds and five of the first eight laps. But on the final turn, he slid off his bike before the transition from the road course to the banked oval, opening the door for Hayes.

“I just saw him for a split second,” said Hayes, “and I think he lost his back. There’s a seam down there that gave people fits.”

Hayes paced the next 10 laps but was not able to pull away from Hayden.

“I was pretty conservative early and I wasn’t sure how the bike would be at the end,” Hayden said. “But as the race went on, it was easier for me, easier for me, easier for me and he was making too many mistakes.

“It’s a big relief, a big weight off my shoulders.”

Hayden’s Yoshimura Rockstar/Makita teammate Blake Young was third in the race behind Hayes’ Team Graves Yamaha, with Jake Zemke fourth and John Hopkins fifth. By virtue of a second- and fourth-place finish during the weekend, Zemke increased his points lead over Hayden, 106-95.

Hayden felt Sunday’s effort was a redemption of sorts for his ride on Saturday, when he finished sixth behind Pegram.

“I felt I rode poorly,” he said. “It was a disaster for me. I was bummed out over it and I had a long talk with myself last night.”

Hayes said he made mistakes that allowed Hayden to get closer.

“But if he (Hayden) had not made mistakes in the infield, he would have had a bigger gap at the end,” Hayes said.

Aaron Yates, Zemke’s Michael Jordan Motorsports teammate, dropped to sixth and the freefall from second will continue. Yates broke his right leg during morning practice when he fell off his Suzuki and was run over by Chris Ulrich.

In the SportBike race, Herrin had a strategy.

“I was actually trying to have the most laps led by not really leading the race,” he said. “I was able to see what I had on him for the last lap.

“The Yamaha definitely had the power over him. They say I’m more of a finisher, but I had to do it on that last lap.

“It was an awesome race, really.”

Eslick, who scored more points than anyone over the weekend on his Suzuki, was ahead of Steve Rapp’s Ducati, with Dane Westby fourth and Bobby Fong fifth.

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.

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